Emancipation
by 0utfoxed
Summary: Cloud laments the loss of a dear friend, in the fallen city. A certain kunoichi tries to cheer him up.. [Cloud x Yuffie, Oneshot]


Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. Like you didn't see that coming.

* * *

Emancipation  
  
The sun glistened in the morning sky, covering the once great city of the Ancients in a brilliant coruscation.

It was a few days after the Meteor crisis. Having finished their rescue operation in the now-abandoned Midgar, the Avalanche group had decided to revisit the ruins, to pay their respects to their fallen friend. They had shared a moment of silence at her resting place, after which they had separated to explore the ruins.

Cloud had chosen to remain behind. He had broken away from the rest of the group, which was now scattered here and there, and waited until they were done. For some reason he didn't want to join them. For the past few days his friends had been all concerned looks and 'are you okay's. He wasn't sure how much more of that he could take.

So he had decided to wait until he could visit Aeris' grave alone..

Rays of light sparkled and reflected off the water flowing below the naturally formed pathways that lay throughout the city as he approached the central structure of the crystalline city.

The luminance faded considerably as he entered the interior of the central structure. Fractures in the walls here and there painted light and shadows upon the walls and floor, particles of dust and haze becoming faintly visible wherever the rays of light permeated.

The air grew colder as he ventured further inside. The coral walls receded at the core of the structure, giving way to a forest of sorts. The radiance from the water, coupled with the ambient light cast a deep, rich azure colour over everything.

The last time he had been here was when..

It seemed as if it hadn't changed at all since that day. _Almost as if something was still waiting for him_..

He walked over to the pool of water which lay at the center of the small forest. Gazing into it, he saw that it was perfectly clear, untainted, and yet it seemed as though it went on forever. He wasn't sure whether that was true, or if it was simply an optical illusion.

He knelt down in front of the radiant pool, taking a single flower from his pocket. It was the one she had sold him, practically given to him when they first met. Marlene had held onto it as a keepsake, while he and the rest of Avalanche had been away. By some miracle it had survived the whole ordeal intact.

He examined it carefully, studying it's intricate details. The small hairs along it's stem. The delicate venations of it's petals..

Holding it out, he let go of the flower. It fell slowly through the air and into the water, creating faint ripples on it's calm surface.

"Hey.." He quietly greeted the ethereal waters. There was no answer. Not that he expected one.

"It's been a long time.." He addressed the area around him. There was no discernable change or movement, but the atmosphere surrounding him seemed to change slightly, becoming warmer.

"It's over. We did it. We stopped him." Cloud spoke up again, watching the faint light dancing across the subtly moving surface of the water. He thought back to that night, when the Lifestream had "healed" the destructive force of Meteor, ending it's threat to the world.

"It was you, wasn't it?" He asked. He could have sworn that for a few moments he had felt her presence when the two forces collided. In that brief moment he was the only one who didn't close his eyes. Again, there was no noticeable change in the vicinity, yet a different, calming aura seemed to manifest itself.

"It looks like everyone is going back their old life now." Cloud explained. "Barret has Marlene to take care of, and is probably headed back to Corel to patch things up. Cid has his airships, and Shera. Red's going to be the new chieftain of Cosmo Canyon. Reeve, I'm not sure about him yet. I think he's going to try and start a construction company. Help rebuild everything Shinra ruined, you know?"

He paused for a moment to reflect on what else was going on with the group.

"Yuffie's going back to Wutai, of course." He continued. "Now that it's free again, I figure she'll have plenty of time to perfect her skills. You'd be amazed how far she's come.." He trailed off.

"Tifa and Vincent... I'm not so sure about them. I suppose they'll go back to Nibelheim, for now."

Silence filled the air once again.

"Me?"

A wry smile crossed his features momentarily.

"I'll figure something out. I just had to return something first." He went on, his voice taking on a more dampened tone.

"I had to see you, one more time, at least.."

He though of the times they had spent together. How much she had changed his life, and the way he saw the world. How much every moment they had shared meant to him.

"I guess... what I'm trying to say is... I miss you." He continued, lowering his head apologetically.

"I wish we could have had more time together." He said, letting his fingers drift upon the surface of the water, creating small ripples with each movement.

"I wish I could have done something more for you." He went on, removing his hand again from the water.

"I'm sorry.." He whispered, closing his eyes.

A few moments of unbroken silence passed. Apart from the faint motion of the water, nothing moved or changed. It felt as if time stood still. But for a second, he could have sworn he heard the faint sound of something stirring in the shadows.

'_My mind must be playing tricks on me._.' He thought.

Suddenly, he felt a slender pair of arms embrace him from behind. He turned his head slightly to see who it was.

"Yuffie?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Don't be sad.."

The young shinobi was kneeling as well, behind him, speaking in an unusually soft voice.

"She wouldn't want you to be like this." She said in a near-whisper.

He lowered his head again.

"I know." He replied quietly. Even though she was telling him this, he could hear the sadness in her own voice. Clearly, she was also lamenting the loss of their friend.

When they had first met, and during most of their travels together, it seemed almost like nothing could bring her spirits down. But when Aeris had fallen by that bastard's hand she'd cried her eyes out...

..and she had turned to him for comfort, which he tried awkwardly to provide, even though there was little he could do, other than hold her. Ever since that day, they had grown closer to one another.

They stayed that way for a short while, unmoving. Eventually, Cloud stirred from his quiescent state. Yuffie reluctantly let go of the embrace as he stood up again. He turned to face her, not knowing what to say. Unable to meet her gaze, he turned away and started walking back towards the entrance.

"C'mon.. Let's go." He said, gesturing towards the exit.

He started walking back through the naturally formed corridor. Yuffie followed him a few paces behind, slightly bewildered. The sunlight was almost blinding as they emerged from the dusky passage.

"Hey, Cloud... what are you going to do now?" Yuffie asked.

Cloud stopped, sighing.

"I really don't know." He admitted. "I've never thought about it."

"Aren't you going back to Nibelheim?" She asked curiously.

Cloud shook his head. "No." He replied. "There's nothing for me there. It's not really Nibelheim anymore, either." He explained, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh.." Yuffie replied.

He started to walk away again.

"Well.." Yuffie started. Cloud turned back towards her.

"You know.." She continued, clasping her hands together behind her back. "You could come stay with me in Wutai..." She suggested.

"..if you want." She added shyly, lowering her gaze downward.

'_Gawd... did I say that out **loud**?_' She thought to herself, blushing slightly.

Cloud nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him again. His expression had softened considerably, and he seemed genuinely grateful for her offer.

"I'd like that." He replied, smiling.

"You would?" She asked, ecstatic. Then, relocating the tone of her voice, she replied. "I mean, of course you would!" She replied, grinning, sounding more like her old self. "Who'd turn down an offer like that?!"

They both burst into laughter at that last comment. Then their mood became composed once again. But the dejection was gone from their spirit. For a few moments, they simply looked at each other, smiling.

'_Yuffie... Thank you._' He thought to himself._ 'I really needed that._'

Cloud took a moment to examine the young kunoichi. He found himself mesmerised by her features, particularly by her gorgeous silvery grey eyes, which were now looking directly into his.

'_You're not so different from her, you know?_' He thought to himself. '_You can be selfless and kind when you want to be, even though you would never in your life admit it. Remember, you weren't just stealing materia out of sheer greed. You did it to help your people. You had noble intentions, even though you tried to fulfill them through the wrong methods._'

"Shall we?" She asked, motioning towards the path down to the airship, where the others were waiting.

Cloud nodded. "Lead the way." He replied, smiling.

A warm, gentle breeze accompanied them, caressing them lazily as they walked back down the path, hand in hand.

The End

* * *

Author's notes: My second entry here, hope you liked it. I'm planning on leaving it as a one-shot, but if someone asks me really nicely, I might be persuaded to write a follow up. Anyway, R&R.


End file.
